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Monthly calendar with 12 challenges for the office

Published by
January 28, 2019

Pain and stiffness in muscles and joints is particularly common among people who work in sedentary jobs. This is often due to the repetition of the same movements and fixed postures. To reduce the risk of these injuries, it is therefore important to introduce some variation of movements into the working day. The "Branchefællesskabet for Arbejdsmiljø" has developed a calendar with 12 monthly challenges as a suggestion on how to get up from the office chair and get some movement into the working day with the help of small exercises and activities to prevent pain. Try introducing the calendar in your workplace and take up a new challenge every month!
Download the calendar at http://bfakontor.dk/vaerktoejer/arbejdsmiljoekalenderen, where you will find more variations of the exercises and illustrative pictures.

JANUARY - Love the elastic

- Do exercises with an elastic band to reduce pain in the neck, shoulders and arms
- For example, shoulder blade squeeze: Hold the elastic band shoulder-width apart with your arms straight. Pull the elastic to the side and backwards until the elastic touches your chest and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Remember to bring your arms back in a controlled manner.

FEBRUARY - Try the plank

- The plank is a simple exercise that works the inner transverse abdominal muscles, legs, arms and shoulders.
- Support yourself on your forearms and toes (or knees if it gets too hard), tense up your body and keep your body in a straight line from neck to heel.
- Challenge your colleagues and do the plank in small groups

MARCH - Hold standing meetings

- Holding meetings standing creates more dynamics in the meeting and reduces the time you spend on sedentary work
- For example, hold your morning meetings around high café tables

APRIL - Take the stairs

- Remind each other to take the stairs instead of the elevator
- Concentration increases when you move around a bit and you feel more refreshed
- Invite your colleague for a short walk instead of a sedentary coffee break

MAY - Reduce mouse nuisance

- Do exercises 2-3 times a day with 5-10 repetitions
- These exercises prevent mouse genes and relieve pain in the neck, shoulder, elbow and wrist.
- For example, the Asian greeting: Press your palms together with your fingers pointing upwards. Lift your elbows out to the side. Move the joined hands from side to side.

JUNE - Walk and talk

- Keep meetings on foot, because the brain works better in the fresh air and you get to walk a few kilometers
- Create different routes on Google Maps, e.g. 30 min, 45 min and 60 min, so you can plan which route you want to take based on the length of the meeting

JULY - Move the bin

- Replace the bins at desks with waste separation in the kitchen or copy room, for example
- It creates more movement during the day

AUGUST - Learn shortcuts

- Learn keyboard shortcuts to reduce mouse clicks
- It makes work easier and reduces mouse annoyance

SEPTEMBER - Count steps

- Walk at least 10,000 steps every day - preferably more
- With a pedometer or a mobile app that counts steps, it's easy to keep track of how far you are from your daily goal

OCTOBER - Raise the lowering table

- Raise the lowering table to change the strain on muscles and joints and reduce back and neck pain

NOVEMBER - Stretch out

- Stretching maintains the body's flexibility and improves blood circulation
- For example: Drop your head forward and roll it from side to side. Or alternately raise and lower your shoulders and then roll them in circles.

DECEMBER - Use the ball

- Challenge your balance by sitting on a large exercise ball instead of an office chair for 15 minutes a day. Remember to set the table at a suitable height.
- You can also use the ball to do other simple exercises that work your body

The advantage of these exercises, besides preventing pain, is that they support workplace tasks and do not distract from the task at hand or can be easily integrated as small active breaks.

By Josefine Huusom